Sam Neill, ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Peaky Blinders’ actor, dies aged 78

Sam Neill, the versatile actor whose career spanned Oscar winners like The Piano to blockbusters like Jurassic Park, has died aged 78.

News of the actor’s death was confirmed by his family on social media this morning (Monday July 13). No cause of death was given, but Neill recently revealed he was cancer-free after being diagnosed with blood cancer in 2022.

“It is with immense sadness that the whānau [Māori term for extended family] of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” they wrote. “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.

“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.

“More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”

Born Nigel John Dermot Neill in 1947 in Omagh, Northern Ireland, Neill’s mother was English, and his father a New Zealander serving in the British army. The family moved to New Zealand in 1954.

Having decided to pursue acting after a “catastrophic” year of studying law, he started out by appearing in Canterbury University productions, later moving to Wellington to join the Downstage Theatre as a professional actor.

His breakout role came in 1977’s Sleeping Dogs, the first New Zealand film to open in America. Soon after that, he landed a leading role in My Brilliant Career (1979), played the son of the devil in Omen III (1981), and the same year, appeared in Andrzej Żuławski‘s cult horror Possession (1981).

He’d later go on to star in Evil Angels, The Hunt for Red October and Ivanhoe, with the latter making Neill a big name in Sweden, where the film has aired every New Year’s Day for 40 years.

He came to widespread international attention again in 1993 with a series of powerful performances: as New Zealand settler Alisdair Stewart in Oscar-winning The Piano; and also as Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park – a role he reprised in sequels Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion.

He had more than 150 credits over his five decade career, including Dead Calm, The Jungle Book, In the Mouth of Madness, Event Horizon, Bicentennial Man, The Dish and Peter Rabbit. He was one of the leading candidates to succeed Roger Moore as James Bond and did a screen-test for the hit spy franchise in 1986, but lost out to Timothy Dalton.

Sam Neill (1947–2026) pic.twitter.com/acWuPqGa2d

— Letterboxd (@letterboxd) July 13, 2026

Neill also worked in television, playing the corrupt Major Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders, as well as appearing in The Twelve, The Tudors, and episodes of The Simpsons and Rick and Morty. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of spy Sidney Reilly in the 1983 mini-series Reilly, Ace of Spies.

In 2023, Neill revealed that he had been undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, which e shared in his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You About This?

By the time his book was published, his cancer was in remission, but he underwent monthly chemotherapy for the rest of his life.

Speaking about his struggle with cancer previously, the actor said that he was coming to terms with the diagnosis but determined to spend more time with his family. “I’m not afraid to die, but it would annoy me,” he told The Guardian in 2023.

“I’d really like another decade or two. We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses. I want to be around to see it all mature,” he added. “And I’ve got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big. But as for the dying? I couldn’t care less.”

Neill was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British empire in 1991 for his services to acting and a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2007.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese is among those paying tribute to the actor, writing on X: “Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts.

“Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance. He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”